Bristol Riverside Theatre makes a special delivery.
By: Staurt Duncan
It is not unusual for a Broadway musical to have small revisions to the book or lyrics once the show has opened in New York, but Baby, which premiered in 1983, had major surgery for a revival last season at Paper Mill Playhouse in Millburn. That newly constructed version is now playing at Bristol’s Riverside Theatre.
The evening asks us to follow three couples as they meet first in a doctor’s office to confirm pregnancy tests, face the usual challenges during the months ahead and prepare for births. In typical musical showmanship, one of the couples is older (they already have three grown daughters and she is in her mid-40s), one of the couples is very young (in school and not married) and the third couple has been trying for children for years, each time with disappointments.
The original production used film segments to educate the audiences of the past generation about conception without scaring them (thereby managing to escape criticism for the more realistic elements). That has happily been replaced by greater audience understanding and frank dialogue about everyday problems, plus advances in medicine. One of the tunes that was hastily inserted (actually while the show was in paid previews) is not set in its proper place. An attempt to update the show from 1983 to 2006 was scrapped.
What remains is a much better organized, much more interesting evening. The BRT production has its own "insider stories" as well. The middle couple (Barbara McCulloh and Brad Little, who play the MacNallys, the couple trying so hard for a child) actually met at Bristol 18 years ago during its first season (the show was The Robber Bridegroom), fell in love and married. This is their first production together since. Both have been wonderfully successful. In fact, Mr. Little has passed the 2,000th performance of the title role in The Phantom of the Opera, and returns to Hong Kong to pick up the Asian tour once he finishes Baby. Over the years, Ms. McCulloh has played all across the United States and, following Baby, will play the title role in Kiss Me, Kate in St. Louis.
But for now they are having a great time, singing up a storm (both have terrific voices) and spending time on stage (mostly in bed, following kooky ideas on how to get pregnant). Meanwhile, Betsy Morgan and Steven Goldsmith, as the unmarried couple, are pushing the plot into the 21st century. And Tim Ewing and Leslie Becker, as the older couple, are reminding us that the past century had many good ideas as well. Edward Keith Baker, in addition to conducting the five-piece orchestra, appears in a cameo role as the doctor who must advise the middle couple as to the proper procedures for achieving pregnancy. And it is a very funny scene.
Director D.J. Salisbury was associate director on last season’s Paper Mill project, and keeps the evening moving at a swift pace, stopping once in a while to smell the flowers, but never giving way to sentiment or pandering to salacious humor. It really is a far better show than it was. And a delightful close to Bristol’s 18th season.
Baby continues at Bristol Riverside Theatre, 120 Radcliffe St., Bristol, Pa., through May 21. Performances: Wed., Sat. 2, 8 p.m.; Thurs.-Fri. 8 p.m.; Sun. 3 p.m. Tickets cost $34-$42. For information, call (215) 785-0100. Bristol Riverside Theatre on the Web: www.brtstage.org

